Megan Nechanicky

Kate taking to the Central Park streets for a morning workout.

I spent last weekend in NYC with one of my best friends to celebrate our birthdays. Kate and I met on the Saint Joe’s rowing team during our first year at the University. We spent countless cold, dark mornings rowing on the Schuylkill River—Kate of course in her Boston-inspired pearls and cable knit sweaters, and me in a Gore-Tex jacket and waterproof spandex. Kate didn’t take a huge liking to the sport and stopped after her freshman year. Despite no longer being teammates, Kate and I did everything together from walking to Starbucks every weekend to study (we had “no wheels” as Kate would say), to dinners, to lacrosse parties to taking summer family trips together. Even though we haven’t lived in the same city since our collegiate days, Kate and I have remained friends for over 10 years.

 
Kate was married a little over two years ago and lives with her husband Garrett and their dog Libby in Philadelphia. Along with 2 years of wedded-bliss and changes in her lifestyle, Kate has packed on 30 undesired pounds. As she puts it, “I have no idea when I put on all this excess weight.”  Every time I see Kate we do a morning workout and the conversation naturally goes straight to weight loss and this weekend was no different. As we walk/ran in Central Park amongst hundreds of avid exercisers, I spoke with Kate in length about how to approach a successful weight loss plan (emphasizing the word “successful”).

Kate and Meg take to the city streets at night.

Here are some of the tips I shared with Kate:
1. Find Your Motivation: On a daily basis, people tell me they want to lose weight and I always ask “why do you want to lose?” and “what’s motivating you to want to lose weight?” I get countless responses from things such as to return to my normal size 8, to increase my energy level, to reduce my disease risk, etc. I think motivation is incredibly important and should be unique to you and should also be measurable. Whether it’s pounds on the scale, sizes in your clothes or numbers in your blood pressure or cholesterol, this will help you track how well you’re progressing. Kate has a huge motivator in that she wants to be healthier as she begins to start a family and can track how she’s doing by periodically weighing herself.

2. Create a Starting and Finishing Line: Know what you’re starting with. I told Kate to go home, take her current weight, and—even though she wouldn’t reveal it to me—she would know where she’s starting. She needs to be aware of where she is today and where she would like to be in the future. I told her to get specific about her goal of weight loss by stating the amount she wants to lose and the timeframe in which she wants to lose it.  For Kate we landed on a weight loss of 30 pounds in 6 months.

3. Move Away from the Scale: Kate has been unsuccessfully trying to lose weight for months and gets frustrated by the numbers not moving quickly enough on the scale. So many people working to lose weight are obsessed with the numbers and addicted to taking daily weights.  Take your weight in the beginning to have your “start line” and then move away from the scale. Don’t take your weight any more than once every two weeks. When you do take it, be consistent with using the same scale and stepping on at the same time of day wearing similar types of clothes each time.

4. Use Behaviors to Lead to Outcome: We all want the outcome—weighing less, having more energy, being able to run 5 miles, etc. Constantly focusing on the outcome without thinking about the behaviors will not lead to success. What bring about these outcomes are behaviors. I’ve advised Kate to focus on behaviors that will lead to her desired outcome. A few of the behaviors we discussed were: (1.) Workout at least 30 minutes each day (2.) Eating 3 meals during the day (3.) Reduce the amount of alcohol at dinners. It’s these very behaviors that will lead to Kate’s desired outcome of weight loss.

I will periodically be sharing Kate’s ups and downs, highs and lows and successes and failures. I invite you to come along on Kate’s weight loss journey to return to her pre-wedding weight by losing 30 pounds in 6 months.

Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

This past week, I started a new rotation at Children’s National in Washington, D.C., and spend time in the weight management clinic. With millions of overweight and obese kids in the United States, I have the unique perspective of going inside some of their lives to hear about their eating behaviors and habits. It is shocking how many kids and families make the same mistakes when it comes to food and are completely unaware that those decisions propel them into the upper percentiles of the child growth charts and into classifications of “overweight” or “obese.”

 
After countless weight loss counseling sessions, here are the five weight loss tips that every family should live by:

 
1. Reduce the Juice- Over and over again I hear families tell me they consume huge quantities of juice, upwards of 500-600 calories per day.  Just because juice comes from a fruit doesn’t mean you can or should consume an unlimited quantity. Juice usually comes with added sugar, and the calories can be consumed very quickly without much satisfaction. Limit juice consumption to 8 ounces or less per day—or better yet, only have it on rare occasion. Stick to water or zero calorie beverages.

2. Mind Your F’s & V’s (fruits and vegetables) - I am shocked by the lack of fruits and vegetables kids are eating, with some even saying they dislike them altogether. Your F & V’s come packed with nutrients your bodies need, are low in calories and high in fiber. Make eating these natural treasures sweet and fun—try fruit smoothies, kabobs or dip into low-fat yogurt or hummus.

3. Enact the 3-4 Hour Rule - Skipping breakfast, skipping lunch and not eating until late in the afternoon is not setting yourself up food success. I heard from the kids that skipping most daytime meals is the norm. Additionally, all of them tended to eat throughout the entire evening and into the night. This eating pattern packs on the pounds due to unhealthy choices when the body has gone for hours without food. Stick to eating every 3-4 hours—meals or snacks don’t need to be large, but this will keep energy level high and allow you to avoid overeating later in the day.

4. Eat From Your Own Kitchen - Almost everyone I counseled was eating the majority of their meals outside of the home, with zero pre-planning. Convenience stores, school cafeterias and fast food restaurants have become the new kitchen. These places are not going to offer many healthy options and usually come in large quantities which equal greater everything (calories, fat, sugar & sodium). Bring it back to the home. Pack or grab your breakfast from home, pack a bagged lunch and home-cooked dinner from your very own kitchen.

5. Healthy is Not Punishment - Providing your kids with healthy foods while limiting the unhealthy ones is not a punishment! Saving your child from diseases such as diabetes and heart disease is a gift—one you can’t put a price on. Teach your kids healthy habits early—make them fun and for the whole family.

Special K "What will you gain when you lose?" campaign ad.

This past week I took part in an employee health fair at the hospital. Being so close to the New Year, it was the perfect time to have your cholesterol checked or sign-up for the hospital gym. I happened to be stationed right next to the Tanita scale which measures body fat. As people walked by the station, they’d be asked if they wanted their body fat tested. Since this health fair was only days after the holiday vacation most people declined with a chuckle.

What I realized was the only people that said “yes” were those that felt they had improved their percentage from the last time they stepped on. It dawned on me that most people know if they’ve gained or lost weight and the dreaded scale is not an 8 ball that you shake, cross your fingers and wish for the best future.

My advice on weigh-ins, reminded me of the great Special K Times Square ad. Don’t step on the scale each day and let it change your mood from happy to hopeless. You know if your pants are tighter, you stopped working out or you now regularly eat an entire box of cookies. If you need a starting point, step on the scale, get the number, step off and then get to work.

Stepping on the scale daily will drive you crazy especially since weight fluctuates based on the time of day you weigh yourself, when you ate last and hydration status. If you want to monitor your weight, step on the scale weekly or even better bi-weekly or monthly. If you know your weight hasn’t changed, don’t bother letting the scale change your mood. Make it a goal to do something differently (move more, eat less, both!), smile and check your weight on a “good” day.